I Won't Let You Close Enough To Hurt Me
by NZGirl25
Summary: Charlie is scared that she will be hurt again, can Brax convince her to give their relationship a chance? ONESHOT.


**This one-shot was inspired by Turning Tables by Adele. I hope you like it. **

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><p>Charlie Buckton knew that she couldn't deny her feelings for Darryl Braxton any longer. The kiss they shared, the love that they had made, hadn't escaped her mind for over a week. She denied her feelings for him and kicked him out of her home. Ever since then, she had tried to avoid him, to no avail. He asked her time and time again why she didn't want to give things a shot between them, and she had given him the same answer, the fact that she was a cop and he was a Riverboy.<p>

She knew why she didn't want to be with him, First, there was her job as a police sargeant, second, he was the leader of the notorious Riverboys', the Surfer gang from Mangrove River.

And third , the real reason, she didn't want to get hurt. She didn't want them to get close, only for the relationship to be a disaster.

And that was why, at three am in the morning, she was pacing the living room of the house she shared with Leah Patterson, her son, VJ Patterson and Charlie's daughter, Ruby Buckton.

"Charlie?"

Charlie whirled around to see her seventeen year old daughter, Ruby Buckton, standing there in a dressing gown.

"Ruby. What are you doing up? You have school tomorrow." Charlie asked.

"I could ask you the same question," Ruby replied. "Is this about you and Brax?"

"There is no me and Brax," Charlie snapped. "Go back to bed Rubes."

"Charlie, talk to me. Why don't you want to be with him?" Ruby wondered.

Charlie sighed and sunk down onto the couch. "I don't know Rubes," She played with a fingernail. "He's a Riverboy, and Riverboys and cops don't mix."

Ruby scoffed. "That isn't the real reason is it?" She asked Charlie just as there was a knock on the door. "I'll go get that." Ruby said.

"No, I will," Charlie said, having a good idea of who would be at the door at three in the morning. "Go back to bed Ruby."

"Fine." Ruby pouted and headed back to her room as Charlie went to answer the door to see him.

"What are you doing here?" Charlie asked icily.

"Charlie, why won't you give us a chance?" Brax asked.

"I told you." Charlie told him, her icy exterior melting when she saw his cheeky grin.

"And I don't understand Charlie, I like you, you like me, that time we shared together, it just meant nothing to you?" Brax asked.

"Of course it meant something to me Brax, but we can't be together."

"We could give things a shot." Brax suggested as he moved in to kiss her. Charlie melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer to her before pulling away.

"No, Brax, we can't do this!" Charlie exclaimed, a hand over her mouth.

Brax sighed, leaning his arm up against the doorframe. "Charlie, tell me the real reason you don't want to be with me."

Charlie shook her head, turning her back to him. "I can't do this Brax!"

"And I can't believe you're just going to walk away from something that could be really amazing." It was Brax's turn to be angry.

Charlie turned back to Brax. "Brax, please leave." It was breaking her heart to say those words, but she couldn't let anyone get close to her just to hurt her. She had been hurt enough.

"Charlie, ya don't mean that, I know ya don't," Brax told her, moving close enough to her to put a finger under her chin and move her head so that she was looking straight into his eyes. "Look at me in the eyes and tell me that you can't be with me."

"I can't be with anyone!" Charlie exclaimed in frustration. "I can't be with someone, letting them close just for them to hurt me!" She then turned away from him, her eyes landing on the fridge that she had pushed him against just days before.

"Charlie, Charlie, look at me," Charlie finally turned around to meet Brax's gaze. "I won't hurt you."

"How do you know?" Charlie whimpered.

"Because, Charlie, I never could hurt you," He took her hand and pulled her closer to him. "Can we give this a shot?"

Charlie nodded. Their lips met, and Chariie finally allowed herself to experience true happiness.

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><p><strong>Please review!<strong>


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